Page 119 of Always Red (Chasing Red 2)

Sighing in frustration, I tamped down my anger and crouched to pick up my things. I froze when I spotted a clear plastic bag, barely hidden under my purse. It had white powder in it.

Blood pounded in my ears, and I felt my face pale. My brain shut off and I stared into space, not seeing, not hearing, not conscious of my surroundings. The next thing I knew, someone was tugging at my arm.

“Let’s get you the hell out of here, Angel Face.”

Damon’s kind blue eyes looked at me with sympathy. What was he doing here?

When I didn’t respond, he tugged on my arm again. “Come on. Are you going to let these assholes win?” he whispered in my ear.

His words spurred me on. I stood up straight, remembering to raise my chin and walk steadily. But all the while, I was gripping Damon’s arm very, very hard.

I only realized this when we stopped and he groaned in pain.

“I know I have mouthwatering biceps, but could you loosen your grip?”

I blinked, mumbling an apology as I did just that. I looked around and realized he had taken us to the gazebo.

Still shaken, I leaned against a post and stared at the darkness surrounding us where the flowers around the gazebo weren’t illuminated by lights. I wished the darkness could hide me too.

“Oh God,” I whimpered, covering my face with my hands.

Damon sighed. He gently tugged my hands away from my face. “It’s okay, Angel Face.”

He was leaning in front of me, his face level with mine.

“It was really cool to watch you spill that drink on the blond. She looked very, very mad.” Damon laughed, tapping my chin playfully with his thumb. “Tell me, did you do it on purpose?”

He straightened up, lacing his fingers together and raising his arms upward in a long stretch. I noticed he was wearing the standard black-and-white server uniform. He looked striking, with his longish dark hair and a silver earring winking from his earlobe.

He let out a lazy groan of satisfaction as he completed his stretch and looked down at me with a big smile. When I didn’t return the smile, he leaned beside me against the post, bumping his shoulder against mine teasingly.

“Hey, smile. You probably just got me fired.”

I frowned.

He laughed. “This gig sucks. I’d rather be serving drinks at a bar or playing my guitar. If I’m being honest, I was looking for a way out. So really, you saved me.” He winked. “They’re not very nice people here.”

I bit my lip, shutting my eyes as I remembered the scene with the not-very-nice people.

“Gum?”

When I opened my eyes, he was waving a stick of gum in front of my face. I shook my head at him.

“Are you sure? It’s cupcake flavored.”

When I whimpered, he unwrapped it and popped it in his mouth.

“Whoa. Okay, no gum.” He fished something out of his apron pocket and brandished my clutch in front of me. “I got it here. See? Don’t cry. Please.”

“Damon! Oh God. Thanks.” I grabbed it from him, sending him a grateful look. I opened it and saw that he had picked up all my stuff. When I saw the plastic bag filled with white powder, my vision turned red again.

“Yes, don’t mention it. I’ve always wondered why women bring these tiny bags with them. I mean, do they like it that they’re always holding something at a party?” He scratched his head. “It’s so small. What could you possibly fit in there? But now I know.”

I knew he was trying to cheer me up, but everything was coming back to me now.

Especially the anger.

“Caleb’s mom probably thinks I’m a cokehead.”

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